Mike Fisher was ready to end the season with the Blue Jackets with a win for the home team.

The infamous Goo Goo Goal of this season has finally been captured, and it was all due to handiwork from Alternate Captain, Mike Fisher on his second goal of the night. It’s been so elusive, in fact, that we here at Lady Preds may just get ours framed! If you did get yours, however, and the exact way to claim your Goo Goo seems a bit confusing, well you can redeem your coupon at any MapCo (no need to mail in the coupon).

Now that we’ve gotten that bit of exciting information out of the way, let’s get onto the game at hand. The Predators have dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets this entire season, winning five out of six games (the Blue Jackets slipped away with an OT goal on November 19th, making the final record 5-0-1). Although the second period Blue Jackets came out in full-force, the Predators withstood the determined underdogs, shutting them down 4-1 in regulation. Here are the highlights from last night’s game:

KEY POINTS

• Ryan Suter returned after a questionable upper-body injury that sidelined him after the Philadelphia Flyers game. It seemed Coach Trotz was right in the fact that Suter’s injury wasn’t as worrisome as the fans had thought. Brian McGrattan and Brandon Yip were scratched for the night and Francis Bouillon is still out with an upper-body injury.
• Mike Fisher got the ball rolling at 8:07 in the first period, with a brilliant wrist-shot from the slot. Martin Erat the only assist on Fisher’s goal, stealing the puck in the Columbus zone and shifting it to Fisher for the goal.
• As stated somewhere up above, the second period was a bit lethargic for the Predators (we assume they just got a little big-headed for a moment). Rick Nash was able to capitalize on the sluggish behavior of the home team, tying the game at one at 6:14. It seemed, after that wake-up call, the Predators kicked back into gear.
• Mike Fisher sent the Predators up 2-1 at 19:31, giving the fans everything their little hearts desired with the Goo Goo Goal (the first of the season and possibly last). Captain Shea Weber and fellow Alternate Captain Ryan Suter assisted on Fisher’s second goal (11th of the season) of the night on the power play.
• The third period showed an entire different home team than from the second, with a wrist-shot from Matt Halischuk at 7:37, his 11th goal of the season. Halischuk’s goal could be a signal to the coaching staff that he does not want to be scratched anymore. Rookies Craig Smith and Ryan Ellis assisted on Hali’s goal.
• Patric Hornqvist sealed another “sweet” goal at 16:51, the fourth goal of the night (that signals the Frosty goal) and his 14th of the season. Ryan Suter and Martin Erat assisted on the power play goal.
• Pekka Rinne had yet another outstanding game, blocking 25 of 26 goals on net, with 16 alone during the second period. The Predators had five power play opportunities and took advantage of two of them. The Blue Jackets only had two, and luckily, were not able to capitalize on either one. Here are the two players who spent some time in the box:

1. Martin Erat – 8:58 2nd Period – Holding
2. Patric Hornqvist – 16:20 2nd Period – Too many men/ice

Although a great victory in the Central Division, the Predators have no time to rest. The Chicago Blackhawks are waiting tonight (Tuesday) for a rematch from Saturday’s game in Nashville, where the Predators smashed the Hawks 5-2. After tonight’s game, the Predators (minus Suter, Weber, and Smith) will have a nice break during the All-Star Game this weekend. The Preds will return to action on Tuesday, January 31st against the Minnesota Wild.

Until then, enjoy your Goo Goo and,
GO PREDS.